Does anyone actually rackmount ?????

Rack mounting gives a nice appearance & certainly saves some space. When 1/16" nylon washers are installed between the faceplates & the screws, there is no damage whatsoever detectable; if you didn't know that the piece had been mounted then you'd never know it otherwise.
Per Madsen Designs has some beautiful open-woodframed racks available for this specific purpose. Check out his ads in Stereophile.

Per Madsen Design
P.O.Box 882464
San Francisco, CA 94188
Tel.: (415) 822-4883
www.rackittm.com

I am the owner of 12 year old video editing and media duplication company; and have rack mounted a wide range of audio gear over the years with few problems. I'm not sure how well it would work with some types of consumer gear; given the thin face plates, etc. found on certain brands. As mentioned, there are ways to isolate rack mounted equipment for both vibration and electric noise. If you have limited space for your equipment, rack mounting may make sense.
I do have to say, that I rack mount some equipment - both audio and video - to save space and create an efficient work environment. When you're paying over a thousand dollars a month for studio space, it really does make sense. However, at home I use a Salamander unit for my main audio system because it blends well with my home furniture.

Ezmeralda11 ! But the vibration could kill the sound !...:-)

Off topic a hair, you can put rubber stoppers between the screw heads and the faceplate to prevent blemishing the finish. It also makes it harder for people to steal the gear-at least quickly. The one that does ruffle me a little is when I see the rack *handles* put on pieces of gear that appear to be solely for beauty/marketing reasons ("it looks cool!")--a 65wpc 12lb carver amp doesn't need rack handles. Now trying to get a 50lb amp, or even a 150lb Gryphoon off the bottom shelf (I'm speculating/imagining on the latter since I've never had to move a gryphoon) rack handles are a godsent. I can't see rackmounting affecting performance in anyway. Of course some tweeko's may start talking about how it couples the component directly to the stand and some mumbo jumbo vibration control issues.

I think it's just a take-off on the pro audio look. There's a good reason why pro-audio is mounted this way.

Possibly the designers thought it would make the equipment look, uh, more like audio gear?

I used to have all rackmount gear, then in 1989 when the big earthquake hit, my whole system hit the floor, with bad results. Since then I have always wondered if they were not mounted would they have fell?? I don't think it alters sound one bit....just damages the faceplate....

Will

Nearly everything in my project studio is rack mounted. Nothing in my listening room is rack mounted. It's principally a matter of space. There's so much gear in the studio that without rackmounting it would take way too much space (not to mention all the power, audio, and midi connection issues). When rackmounting you may have to pay a bit more attention to grounding considerations since some equipment uses chasis ground and others don't (and some provide the option with a switch). But proper grounding practice is always a good idea.

Damages the faceplate. Reduces resale value. Considering prevailing fashion, does not look right. Looks way too scientific and techy, so gives off the wrong vibe, makes one look like a dreaded scope sniffing number cruncher. A high-end faux pas, if you ask me I am sure a number of people will opine that it alters the sound of the equipment,give me a break... in one's mind, maybe? Good day.